Dissipative and stochastic geometric phase of a qubit within a canonical Langevin framework

Dissipative and stochastic effects in the geometric phase of a qubit are taken into account using a geometrical description of the corresponding open--system dynamics within a canonical Langevin framework based on a Caldeira--Leggett like Hamiltonian. By extending the Hopf fibration $S^{3}\to S^{2}$ to include such effects, the exact geometric phase for a dissipative qubit is obtained, whereas numerical calculations are used to include finite temperature effects on it.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Interplay of causticity and vorticality within the complex quantum Hamilton-Jacobi formalism

Interference dynamics is analyzed in the light of the complex quantum Hamilton-Jacobi formalism, using as a working model the collision of two Gaussian wave packets. Though simple, this model nicely shows that interference in quantum scattering processes gives rise to rich dynamics and trajectory topologies in the complex plane, both ruled by two types of singularities: caustics and vortices, where the former are associated with the regime of free wave-packet propagation, and the latter with the collision (interference) process. Furthermore, an unambiguous picture connecting the complex and real frameworks is also provided and discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

Bohmian Trajectories of Airy Packets

The discovery of Berry and Balazs in 1979 that the free-particle Schr\"odinger equation allows a non-dispersive and accelerating Airy-packet solution has taken the folklore of quantum mechanics by surprise. Over the years, this intriguing class of wave packets has sparked enormous theoretical and experimental activities in related areas of optics and atom physics. Within the Bohmian mechanics framework, we present new features of Airy wave packet solutions to Schr\"odinger equation with time-dependent quadratic potentials. In particular, we provide some insights to the problem by calculating the corresponding Bohmian trajectories. It is shown that by using general space-time transformations, these trajectories can display a unique variety of cases depending upon the initial position of the individual particle in the Airy wave packet. Further, we report here a myriad of nontrivial Bohmian trajectories associated to the Airy wave packet. These new features are worth introducing to the subject's theoretical folklore in light of the fact that the evolution of a quantum mechanical Airy wave packet governed by the Schr\"odinger equation is analogous to the propagation of a finite energy Airy beam satisfying the paraxial equation. Numerous experimental configurations of optics and atom physics have shown that the dynamics of Airy beams depends significantly on initial parameters and configurations of the experimental set-up.Comment: 8 page

Quantum phase analysis with quantum trajectories: A step towards the creation of a Bohmian thinking

We introduce a pedagogical discussion on Bohmian mechanics and its physical implications in connection with the important role played by the quantum phase in the dynamics of quantum processes. In particular, we focus on phenomena such as quantum coherence, diffraction, and interference, due to their historical relevance in the development of the quantum theory and their key role in a myriad of fundamental and applied problems of current interest.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure